Our People

Employee Spotlight: Katie Waters

Katie has worked at Mother Parkers’ Fort Worth (Texas) manufacturing facility since 2019. In her role as Quality Assurance Supervisor, Katie ensures that items produced in Fort Worth are manufactured safely and are held to our high quality standards. As opportunities arise, she also works with the broader organization to help bring new products to life.

One of Katie’s favorite things about working at Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee is the opportunity to develop new skills and grow throughout her career.

Employee Spotlight: Roy Dhritiman

Roy joined Mother Parkers in 2022 and works as a Production Supervisor in our EcoCup^® manufacturing facility. In this role, Roy manages the production schedule and workflow among his team to optimize output and mitigate downtime. Roy has led various continuous improvement projects that increased equipment efficiency on multiple production lines and also ensures all safety and quality protocols are followed in accordance with Mother Parkers’ standards.

Roy says his favorite things about working at Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee are the work culture and the people he gets to work with every day.

Employee Spotlight: Michelle Sutton

Michelle is a longstanding Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee team member and has been with us since 2006 as a Machine Operator at our tea manufacturing facility in Ajax, Ontario.

In addition to her main role of operating and maintaining a variety of tea machines, Michelle is also a Co-Chair on our Joint Health & Safety Committee.

Over her long career at Mother Parkers, Michelle has appreciated working alongside wonderful coworkers and takes pride in producing high-quality tea products.

Employee Spotlight: James Morgan

James has worked at Mother Parkers for over 5 years and is a Specialty Tea Blender at our tea manufacturing facility in Ajax, Ontario. James is also a member of our Joint Health & Safety and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committees.

James enjoys the variety in his role as he ensures different tea blends are produced according to the production priorities for each day. He has also made many great friendships with coworkers over the years at Mother Parkers. Coming from a British Jamaican family background, James says tea is a major part of his life both in, and outside of his work.

Employee Spotlight: Tim Normand

Tim has been with Mother Parkers for over a decade and manages our EcoCup^® Capsules operations. A large component of Tim’s role is optimizing plant performance while prioritizing safety, product quality, and production efficiency.

Tim appreciates the autonomy and trust that Mother Parkers gives employees. As a leader, Tim focuses on people engagement initiatives to enhance the productivity and satisfaction of approximately 150 hourly and salaried team members.

Employee Spotlight: Stephen Leung

Stephen has worked at Mother Parkers for over 11 years, and is now Senior Director of Engineering and Technical Services. In this role, Stephen leads a team that scopes, executes, and delivers on growth, infrastructure, and productivity projects. One of Stephen’s main priorities is to ensure the health and safety of all Mother Parkers manufacturing employees.

Working for a fourth-generation, family owned company, Stephen appreciates that Mother Parkers owners and senior leaders genuinely value and care for their employees.

Employee Spotlight: Tammy Baran

Tammy has been with Mother Parkers for 16 years and leads our product development work on tea. Her creativity comes to life through the development of new tea and herbal blends from origins all over the world.

“My role is all about growth and development so that we can provide tea solutions that work for our customers and consumers. But it’s working side-by-side with the great people at Mother Parkers that makes every day enjoyable!”

Employee Spotlight: Adam Willis

Adam joined Mother Parkers in 2000 in a marketing role. His passion for product development and all things coffee led him down a new career path that extended his creativity and offered new learning.

“Working with a team of coffee enthusiasts with the expertise to bring together raw materials, roasting methods and brewing equipment to create solutions is amazing. Our customers really appreciate this because it gives them new ways to grow their business.”

Employee Spotlight: Sue Horsley

Sue joined Mother Parkers in 2000 to lead our Fort Worth Roasting and Packaging Facility. With 33 years of experience in food and beverage manufacturing, Sue knows how to run a tight ship!

While efficiency in running our operations is key, Sue believes that “being flexible and putting quality first in everything we do supports our goal of being the tea and coffee experts our customers count on every day. Working with and learning from the many talented people at Mother Parkers is what I love most about my job.”

Employee Spotlight: Yucheng Fu

Yucheng joined Mother Parks in 2011 and has more than a decade of experience in Food Science and Packaging Development. His technical knowledge and passion for how packaging impacts the freshness and quality of coffee and tea products is a real advantage for Mother Parkers.

“My role is centered around protecting and delivering great tea and coffee experiences through effective packaging, in a sustainable manner. I love working at Mother Parkers because of the collaborative environment, and because of our passion for winning alongside our customers.”

Employee Spotlight: Christien Parrott

Christien joined our Commodities team in 2016. Her passion for coffee farms around the globe and the people that depend on them for a livelihood has helped her grow into our Coffee Sustainability Lead.

“I love that coffee has created a ‘coffee culture’ and I am thrilled to be part of this fanatical community! Whether it is working with the supply chain or directly with the coffee producers themselves, people who work in coffee are truly passionate about coffee.”

Employee Spotlight: Edgar Barragan

Edgar joined Mother Parkers is 2012 with more than 20 years of risk management experience, a critical skill when buying market-driven commodities. Edgar interacts daily with our customers to explore ideas and discuss the strategies of coffee futures risk hedging, guiding them in an understanding of market realities and the noise that is often created by market volatility.

“Our coffee procurement team is the best in the industry, and the company’s commitment to customer and consumer satisfaction is second to none. We have supportive owners and leadership that make Mother Parkers a great place to work”.

Employee Spotlight: Sundeep Singh

Sundeep joined the Mother Parkers team in 2018 and is dedicated to building and sustaining a passionate and inspired employee base that will help deliver an exciting future for the company. She engages employees and listens to ensure we are creating a space where our employees feel good about coming to work and are empowered to give their best every day.

“Mother Parkers is always changing and evolving – it’s a constant adventure! Yet the commitment to our core values remain an anchor to everything we do and helps us attract talent that becomes our competitive advantage.”

Employee Spotlight: Laura Merko

Laura joined Mother Parkers to help take eCommerce to a new level in the company. She has over a decade of experience in marketing and sales and has spent the past five years focusing on eCommerce growth globally and within North America.  As Ecommerce continues to experience accelerated growth, Laura helps us think about every aspect of our products, from development all the way to the consumer’s doorstep.

“I’m passionate about delivering omni-channel strategies that ensure our customers’ private label products stand out on the digital shelf with the same impact that they do in-store.”

Employee Spotlight: Adrian Khan

Adrian has been with Mother Parkers for nearly 10 years and brings extensive food and beverage EHSS experience to the team. We count on Adrian for just about everything, and he never fails to deliver against our priority of keeping our people safe and healthy.

“A positive safety culture is essential to the organization as it supports our ability to deliver for our customers and against our business strategies. Every day is a different day, but the goal never changes – help our team work safely so they can return back home to their families each day. Mother Parkers really cares about people and their well-being.”

Employee Spotlight: Evonne Shrestha

Evonne joined Mother Parkers in 2014 and is responsible for leading all aspects of Quality Assurance for our single-serve capsule solution. Her work ensures the functionality, freshness and consistent coffee profile of each and every EcoCup^® capsule that is brewed.

“My role is about building processes that ensure our customers receive the same amazing products every single time. Everyone at Mother Parkers strives to be the best at what they do and we actively work at continuous improvements, while having fun along the way.”

Meet Our Master Roaster

With over 20 years of experience in the coffee industry, Daud is a licensed Q-Grader certified by the Coffee Quality Institute and sits on the Science Leadership Council of the National Coffee Association, focusing on monitoring and interpreting the science of coffee.

As Master Roaster, Daud combines the art and science of coffee roasting, focused on optimizing sourcing, roasting, product development, quality, training & education of all things coffee. Beyond the experience Daud brings, his genuine passion for the coffee industry and our customers is evident in everything he does.